Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-03-03

CLOCKS OF A CENTURY AGO.
Styles that wers Popular I'm the Co.
lonial Days-The Pioneer Watch-
maker of America.

Styles that wers Popular In the Co.
4 lonial Days--The Pioneer Watch-
maker of America.
| Mr.. Charles S. Crossman is writing q
history Of watch and clock making in
America, says The New York Mail ana
Express. Heis dark-haired pleasant
hammered man. about SO years old. A
reporter gained from him historical
facts about watches and clocks
Luther Goddard was the pioneer
matchmaker in America" Mr.. Cross
man said. He began in 1909 at Shrews-
bury. Mass The factory building was
one-story high, with a hip roof. and
built on the declivity of Shrewsbury
hill. There are no traces left Of the
little factory. The watches he made
were similar to English verge watches.
The wire, main and hair springs, bal
ance verges, chains, and pinions were
all imported. But the plates, wheels
and other brass parts Goddard cast
himself. He had with him several Brit
ish soldiers who, after the Revolution,
decided to remain and ply their trades
as watchmakers. He also made the
| cases for the movements, which were
of the usual style; open face, double
case, and somewhat in advance of the
thick bulls eye watches Of the day.
The first watch he made was sold to the
father of Ex-Governor Lincoln. of Wor-
cestor The first attempt to manufac-
ture watches by machinery in America
was made by Henry Pitkin in the fall of
1888. He had four apprentices, each of
whom he paid $50 and board q. year.
The machinery was all invented by Mr..
Pitkin, and though very crude, dis
played great originality.
Gideon Roberts was the first to
make wood clocks in Bristol, in 1890,
and one of the first to make them in
Connecticut. His clocks were the old
fashioned, hang-up. The plates were
half an inch thick and foot square.
He sawed the teeth out by hand
and the weights were tin cannisters
filled with shot. These clocks were
valued at $25 each. The one-day
weight brass clock was invented by
Chauncey Jerome, in 1888, aud was the
most popular style of cheap clock for
many years. 1t was this style of clock
that was first imported to England in
1912. Main springs were first intro
duced in 1915, and since then the ten
dency has been to reduce clocks in size.
The small nlckle clocks, first made in
1876, are an outcome of this popular
demand. The colonial high-case. or
grandfather clocks, which are sought
after now by the lovers of the antique,
were pretty much the only style of clock
known century ago. The Connecticut
clocks did not come into use until the
beginning of this century, so when the
colonial clocks were in vogue there
were only a few Dutch and English
styles besides. Many of the finer col
onial clocks of the most celebrated
makers are to be found now in the
homes of the wealthy lovers of the an
! tIIuC anu III ucSC ClOChS Ill
of English origin, and date back to the
practical introduction of the pendulum
in clocks early in the seventeenth cen,
fury. Obadiah Holmes, minister,
brought the first clock of this style
from Europe to Massachusetts in 1850
and finally, in 1850, settled in Rhode
Island. These clocks were very expen
sive, and Rev. Mr.. Holmes in those
days was considered very wealthy to be
able to possess one. The first know
ledge history has of clocks being solt
England was when Joseph Essex ant
Thomas Bradley offered them for SALE
in Boston in 1872. 1t is more thar
probable. though, that Benjamin Bag
nall was making clocks as early as thi
in Boston. No correct data can b,
found to prove otherwise. The frs
difinitc knowledge of him was an entr,
made in the treasurer book of Charles
ton. August q, 1924, which mentione'
, that he was paid so much for cleanin,
the town clock. Bagnalrs clocks wer
\ rather small in size. with cast bras
dials and plain mahogany cases, Will
lam Clagget, the most celebrated col
onial clockmaker of the seventeent
, century, was born in 1896. and mad
clocks at Newport. His clocks are yer
9 scarce and highly priced. The move
ments are all fine and the cases of goo
y | b. ,chi IN. IN tho RhnI
o Island Historical soc.ety's rooms is {
the hanging style, and valued at hig
}, price.
'Clagget was versatile man, an
besides making the best clocks of hi
Is time be gained some prestige, by VIZ
Ii ting rel gious book. The next make
l of importance was John Bailey, of Han
y over, who fourished during Revolution
!, AIRY times. He was man of great mi
II chanical ability and progressive idea
He made several hundred clocks. an
Vi the workmanship was so fine many I
!, them are running still, almost :
a good as when new. They are all case
a in large-sized cherry cases with bra:
lie balls on top. Simon Willard began
St make clocks in Roxbury, Mass, in 17S
- and soon became famous. He was Il
=. most extensive maker of clocks of Il
es colonial style in this country. He il
vented the famous Willard time pec
n, His hall clocks were all eight-d;
n clocks, and were usually seven fe'
ID high, all cased in plain mahogany, wi
a fret work across the top. surmount'
le- by three good-sized brass balls. In Is
he made the clock in old st. George
= in Beekman street, New York. whi'
kept the standard time for many year
ak The prices of colonial clocks ram
nd from $50 to 500. 1t took from thr
ne to four months to get a clock made
y, y. the smaller makers, and then usually
longer time elapsed before the max
ci- received his pay. The pay was often